Look at your own life and see all the times when things 'just happened' to turn out right after all. That too is a miracle of Love. We are given free will to decide what to make of our lives but when we are faced with choices we are always assisted. When things are black there is Light given, we can understand what is the best thing to do.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

An Advocate for Domestic Violence-and a survivor of Domestic Violence and abuse turned my personal experience into a tool to empowerment for other women.

Volunteer at the Domestic Violence Center of Greater Cleveland and a member of Peace In The Hood under Director Khalid A. Samad, as their Domestic Violence Advocate and coach and Black on Black Crime under Director Art McCoy.

(2010) was nominated by the Judging Committee for the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland Hero Awards and was selected as a finalist in the Hero Challenge of the Educational category for being an inspiration to many and educating the public about domestic violence.

A self-proclaimed Islamist polygamist, and father of 19 children, will spend his life in prison for torturing some of his children and falsely imprisoning two of his three wives.

55-year-old Mansa Musa Muhummed was sentenced today in Riverside County Superior Court to seven consecutive life sentences and about 17 years of other prison time. Muhummed was arrested about ten years ago on charges of child endangerment, spousal abuse and false imprisonment. After years of legal maneuvering, Muhummed finally went on trial last year. During the trial, several of his children testified that they were starved, beaten and strung up with electrical cord in the basement of their home. Jurors also saw Muhummed sob on the stand as he testified in his own defense. Muhummed denied beating his children's knuckles and smashing their toes with a hammer.

On June 11, 2008, the jury convicted Muhummed of seven counts of torture, 12 counts of child endangerment, 4 counts of spousal abuse and 2 counts of false imprisonment.original trial storyAGUANGA: Aguanga torture trial beginsBy JOHN HALL - Monday, May 5, 2008 An Aguanga man imprisoned and tortured two of his three "wives" and more than a dozen children over a three-year period starting in 1996, one of those wives testified Monday at the start of his trial.

Mansa Musa Muhummed, now 55, is charged with multiple counts of torture, child abuse, spousal abuse and false imprisonment. Those charges stem from crimes he allegedly committed not only in Aguanga, but also when the families lived in Perris and Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Julie Baldwin said. Baldwin told jurors Monday that Muhummed starved and beat many of the children ---- who ranged in age from infants to early 20s ---- often simply for trying to get a small amount of food. A 19-year-old daughter who was only 4 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed only 56 pounds, and a 20-year-old son who was 4 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 78 pounds, were found by authorities on the Sweepstakes Lane property in April 1999, Baldwin said.

Muhummed "single-handedly terrorized the entire household," Baldwin said in her opening statement. Muhummed's defense attorney, Peter Morreale, has chosen to wait and give his opening statement later when he begins to present his case. Born Richard Boddie, Muhummed took that as his Muslim name and believes he has the right to multiple wives because of his religion, authorities say. Two of Muhummed's wives and some of the children were forced to live in a three-car garage he had partitioned off with a wall. The door to the outside of the garage was boarded up so no one could get out and there were padlocks on the roll-up doors, Baldwin said Those living in the garage were deprived of not only food, but the use of a bathroom for days at a time, she said.

They were unable to escape the prison of their own home until one of the women seized on a chance to get help by slipping a letter to a clerk at the Aguanga post office in April 1999, according to testimony during the first day of trial Monday.

Laura Cowan, one of Muhummed's three wives, told jurors she had kept a self-addressed, stamped envelope a social services case worker had previously given her. She wrote a 13-page letter, dated March 20, 1999, detailing what Muhummed was doing to the women and children. After putting the letter in the envelope, Cowan said she hid it in her underwear so he wouldn't find it.

"I was scared he was gonna kill us," she said, speaking of herself and her children.

Because they lived in such a rural area, Cowan said she knew Muhummed would go to the post office the first of every month to pick up mail and food stamps. So the first part of April 1999, she made the trip with him. While in line, Muhummed became distracted, Cowan said, striking up a conversation with a man behind them. When she reached the counter, Cowan said she lifted up her garment, pulled the envelope out and slipped it to the clerk, quietly saying "Please mail this for me."

Within days, Riverside County sheriff's deputies were at the Aguanga property and the investigation into alleged crimes, including torture and false imprisonment, was under way.

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About Me

single, mother of three.Iam a Domestic Violence Survivor and proud of it. Why?...because I SURVIVED!!!! I love walks in the park, walking my dog(Beagle), listening to music, reading a good book, watching a scary movie, snacking on munchies, working on my computer, shopping with my kids, joy riding around town, teaching computer classes, working on my masters soon, sitting by my poolside, working out at the gym. I like jokes, humor and a peaceful lifestyle. Love to surf the web: my favorite website is: http://www.pysih.com
These guys are awesome.